GM Rod Thorn recalls 10 years with Nets, career

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Well it is the offseason - I'm jonesing for some Mavs news and this article has a nice JKidd reference which I've added below. The rest of the article is pretty good with some funny stuff at the end.
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---- http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...ap-thornleaves ---

Of all the players he has coached or signed, Thorn has special spots for Jason Kidd(notes), Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Vince Carter(notes).

Thorn made the deal that brought Kidd to New Jersey and made the Nets a winner.

“When he came he just totally changed the culture of the team by himself and made everybody believe they could do something,” Thorn said.

New Jersey was swept in the 2002 finals by the Lakers, a series that Shaquille O’Neal(notes) dominated. The loss to the Spurs in six games the next year hurt more, because the Nets were competitive. They lost Game 5 in a contest that could have gone either way and they led in Game 6 until the very end.

Thorn said Kidd could shut down any player as well as hit clutch shots on nights where nothing went in for him. His only regret was the night when an unhappy Kidd refused to play in 2007 because of a migraine. Kidd eventually was traded to Dallas months later. It took Thorn a long time to get over that.

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